Classically, electrical filters were constructed of lumped circuit passive elements. The elements included were resistors, inductors or coils, and capacitors, usually non-polarized. As electrical engineering evolved it became necessary to reduce the size and weight of these elements. Since the inductor represented the largest volume component there was motivation to remove it. It was later discovered that an amplifier with resistance-capacitance could replace the inductor to get the same effect.
The new method was termed active RC filter design. Although active RC filters could emulate passive filters they required a power supply. Also active RC filter by nature could not handle large power transients. Still the active RC filter presented a small footprint at low cost and had the inherent advantages of signal gain and impedance isolation of load and source.
As the computer age entered solid-state amplifiers became even smaller at even lower power and cost. Now the capacitor element became the size limitation. Although capacitors exist in ICs their needed circuit values were not forthcoming. This was such a problem that digital filters began to emerge. But the need for analog filters remained owing to requirements of pre-aliasing and post smoothing in conjunction with digital filter use.
The demand for higher bandwidth continues to limit the use of digital filters for many applications in the video frequency and UHF frequency ranges. Meanwhile the development of extremely high gain-bandwidth operational amplifiers (Op Amps) continues making active RC quite attractive even with the capacitor element requirement.
It therefore seemed reasonable to search for a filter design method that would employ op-amps with resistor feedback.